Super-intelligent computers that go bad isn’t a new concept, as fans of the “Terminator” franchise know all to well. However, when I think about digital evil, I remember the haunting voice of the HAL 9000 supercomputer in 1968 sci-fi classic “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Think about this: That was a voice that Sir Anthony Hopkins heard in his head as he prepared to play the brilliant serial killer Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs.”
Read MoreWith the fisherman's ring and the lambswool pallium over his shoulders, these links to John Paul II helped Leo XIV stress the need for unity and core Catholic traditions. Nonetheless, he faces painful challenges even while calling for unity.
Read More(ANALYSIS) During his time in the South American nation, Pope Leo XIV lived alongside his parishioners through a bloody civil war, a decade-long dictatorship and an unstable post-dictatorship period that has so far led to three former presidents being handed prison sentences.
Read More(OPINION) Colloquially, “mamzer” apparently can also refer to anybody regarded as strange or an outsider. That would be me. In that sense I’m definitely a mamzer. And maybe that’s you, too, if you’re of a certain bent. We’re those odd souls who see things differently than the crowd does, maybe because we’re always a healthy distance from it.
Read MoreSure, drinking and cheating songs characterize a whole lot of the country music genre, known for its roots in working-class, blue-collar American life. But faith, too, infuses many Nashville hits, as illustrated by the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards.
Read MoreThe link between the papacy and the sporting world looks set to continue under Pope Leo XIV. With a new pope installed as Francis’ successor, that sporting theme could continue in the Vatican, though the center of gravity may migrate from soccer to baseball. As befitting a U.S. pope, Leo is known to be a fan of the national pastime, in particular the Chicago White Sox.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The days after a pope's death are hectic, and it's a hard time for Vatican officials to examine complex, controversial documents. Nevertheless, the bishops of Germany announced — two days after Pope Francis died on April 21 — guidelines for handling blessings for same-sex couples and other "irregular" relationships. Welcome to the Chair of St. Peter, Pope Leo XIV.
Read More(ANALYSIS) To what degree will the new pope stand or not stand in continuity with Francis? As a scholar who has studied the writings and actions of the popes since the time of the Second Vatican Council, a series of meetings held to modernize the church from 1962 to 1965, I am aware that every pope comes with his own vision and his own agenda for leading the church.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The global media storm surrounding the election of Pope Leo XIV will soon fade to some degree (until he wears a Chicago White Sox jersey or something like that). This post centers on the fact that the priest and bishop who is now pope has, in the past, offered some strong, insightful appeals for church leaders to face the realities of the digital age.
Read MoreThe Conversation U.S. asked Maureen Day, a researcher at the University of Southern California who has written several books about the contemporary church, to explain what Catholicism looks like in the U.S. at this high-stakes moment.
Read MoreOnly four days have passed since his election to the papacy, and Pope Leo XIV made it a point to hold an audience with the men and women who were in Rome to report on the death of Pope Francis, the conclave and the first days of his own ministry.
Read More(ANALYSIS) There’s a good chance that you may have heard that the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics have a new shepherd. You may have heard this news because, to skilled religion writers (and wise editors who hire them) a papal election is the Godbeat Olympics. At the same time, the rest of the world views these transitions as political elections in which candidates wear spectacular vestments and talk too much about God.
Read MoreA day after being chosen the first U.S.-born pontiff, Pope Leo XIV said on Friday that his election was both a blessing and a cross to bear. The Chicago-born Augustinian missionary Robert Prevost surprised the world on Thursday when the conclave elected him pope, overcoming the traditional prohibition against a pontiff from the United States.
Read MorePeace be with you! Dearest brothers and sisters, this was the first greeting of the risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave His life for the flock of God. I, too, would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts, to reach your families and all people, wherever they are; and all the peoples, and all the earth: Peace be with you.
Read MoreIt was the white plume of smoke that ushered in a new pope — and the reaction that the head of the Catholic Church is an American sparked reaction across the nation. Everyone had something to say about Cardinal Robert Prevost, now known as Pope Leo XIV. The pope, who hails from Chicago’s South Side, had made history as the first U.S.-born pontiff in the church’s 2,000-year history.
Read MoreWhat’s in a name? That’s a question Catholics often ask after a new pope is elected. One of his first official acts of a new pope is to choose a name. Deeply symbolic, the name often reflects the pope's values or spiritual inspirations.
Read MoreEl nuevo papa León XIV saludó en su primer discurso como jefe de la Iglesia Católica Romana a la diócesis de Chiclayo, donde ejerció como misionero y arzobispo emérito en el norte del Perú, país donde ha realizado gran parte de su ministerio religioso.
Read MoreIn his first address as head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV offered a special greeting to the Diocese of Chiclayo in northern Peru, where he once served as a missionary and Archbishop Emeritus. Peru is celebrating his election as a historic milestone, as he becomes the first pope with dual citizenship — American by birth and Peruvian by naturalization.
Read More(ANALYSIS) We have a new pope! May the Holy Spirit guide you, Papa! These are my thoughts, on the fly, as a relatively new Catholic, having entered the church two years ago.
Read MoreWith clouds of white smoke emanating from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel and to the loud cheers of thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square, the 133-member conclave elected a new pope on Thursday — choosing Cardinal Robert Prevost. Following the closed-door process known as the conclave, the new pontiff chose the name Leo XIV as the 267th head of the Catholic Church.
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